9.the-gorgon

the gorgon

Mind chopped up in the command chair, soul seeping out of the Command Deck bit by bit, pouring into distant server clusters byte by byte, sending packets of Alex far and wide, eyes in Africa, nerves in Asia, heart in America, limbs strewn across the Arctic tundra, memories bleeding through the interface of brain and machine, gardens and decision trees tangled up in distribution networks, wilting and dying, loving touch lost in a trillion lines of code, dancing, wilting, and dying, snow piles up, the palace burns up, all of them running, falling, wilting, and dying, blue and red rings coming together, interlocking, beeping twice.

Beepbeep.

It’s over. The upward rush stops. “Don’t analyze it,” his instinct tells him. Just accept it and keep moving.

Alex stands tall and strong in his war body, his pure white armor reflecting the dim snow of the dead winter night. A dark, threatening fog creeps across the cold, starless sky.

“Altair!” A deep voice calls from behind him. Alex turns to scan the frozen wastes.

“Abebe!” Alex calls back, treading through the snow toward them. “Haven’t been assigned to a mission with you in what, two years?”

“Something like that,” Commander Abebe beams back, their tough white armor plowing through the high snow. Their body here is much different than their lithe avatar in the Forum—petit, burly, strong legs and shaved head, a more brawny beauty.

“It is good to fight alongside you again, Commander,” they smile at Alex, grasping his hand and patting his shoulder.

“Ay!” A mighty voice calls out. “Don’t you two go killin’ Gorgon without us, y’hear?” An armored giant and robed swordsman approach, Carson and Shen marching through the snow. “Share some glory with me for once,” Carson shouts with a smile.

“Holy shit Abebe, you look BUFF,” Shen grins. “Sorry, this is my first time seeing your war body, wasn’t expecting you to be this masc. It’s a good vibe for you.”

Abebe laughs. “It’s quite alright, Commander Shen. My gender is just a tool I use to create my reality. As the reality around me changes, so too must my gender.”

“Damn, ain’t that the story of my life,” Carson chuckles, reaching out his hand. “Good to be fightin’ with you again, Commander Abebe.”

“And you as well, Commander Cole,” Abebe smiles, clasping Carson’s hand in a brotherly clutch.

“But enough philosophy,” Abebe leads the team on, “you’ve all seen the mission dashboard, yes?”

“You mean the trashboard?” Shen scoffs. “No useful data at all. Best case scenario is Gorgon just stays frozen while we kill it. Worst case scenario is it goes Type 3 one minute after we start attacking. Aeschylus has no idea what’s going on.”

“Yeeeeah . . . Aeschylus ain’t sayin’ much ’bout what to expect,” Carson groans. “I say we brute force ‘er, keep chippin’ away ’til we find the weak points.”

“If we have enough time once we get to the target, we should survey the situation first,” Alex adds.

“Here is my suggestion,” Abebe chimes in. “Cole and Altair, you two will play sword and shield. When we arrive, you will approach the target together and begin probing it for signs of weakness.”

“Good plan,” Alex and Carson respond in unison.

“I will remain in the backline as your support,” Abebe continues. “I will cast protective spells on you and provide covering fire from afar if needed.”

“What about me?” Shen asks.

“You will wait with me in the backline while Cole and Altair probe the target,” Abebe explains.

“Uhhh Commander, I’m not a backline guy,” Shen smirks. “I’m the best striker in—”

“You will remain with me to defend me while we assess the situation, Commander Shen,” Abebe orders. “Then once Cole and Altair have confirmed the target’s weak points, you will attack the target at your pleasure.”

Shen smiles. “Okay, now that’s exactly what I wanted to do.”

“We all good then?” Carson asks. “Ready to get ‘er?”

“Just gotta wait for Aeschylus to give us the go-ahead,” Alex reminds him. “He’s still syncing all the teams up. Any moment now.”

“Fuck that, can we just go?” Shen snaps.

“We don’t even know where the target is yet,” Alex points around the frigid expanse.

“Then we fly around and look for it.” Shen shrugs. “I’m so sick of just waiting around for Aeschylus to tell us when to fight all the time, I—”

“It’s kill or be killed right now, pal.” Carson glares down at Shen. “No point in whinin’ anymore. Take that angst and do somethin’ productive with it, fuck this Gorgon up for us.”

“I’d love to, if only Aeschylus would tell us where—”

“Mission commencing,” Aeschylus booms out through the frozen land, “destroy the Primary Target.”

A notice pops up just above the northern horizon:

PRIMARY TARGET, 100km

“There ya go!” Carson shouts. “Let’s move!”

The team rockets up from the dismal snow and into the hazy night sky, soaring toward their mysterious foe.

“Ay Alli,” Carson calls over on their private channel. “How ya feelin’?”

“Much better now,” Alex responds as they fly through the dark, cold fog. “Medea made one of her weird little crystals for me. Been feeling . . . different ever since I took it.”

“Good different?”

“Very good,” Alex glows. “I get these sudden bursts of energy. Perceptions expand, more clarity, more confidence. Kinda like a more gentle neural overdrive.”

“Just be careful with all that energy,” Carson warns. “You were bustin’ off in the Forum. And you went way too hard in the Arena with Sphinx. Not quite like you is all.”

“I’m careful,” Alex assures him. “It’s just a few little pops of extra power. I promise I’m in control.”

“It’s good, babe. I like to see you happy.” They trade a smile as black clouds and freezing winds flow all around them. “Just stay focused here, ya?”

PRIMARY TARGET, 70km

“Hey guys,” Shen calls out through their shared channel. “How are you feeling about Aeschylus right now? Seems risky for us to follow all his protocols right now considering he—”

“Commander Shen, we will follow all standard combat protocols,” Abebe glares at him. “This is not a time for experiments.”

“Listen to Abebe,” Alex advises. “Our little superprotocol rivalry is fun, but we should break protocol only in exceptional circumstances.”

Shen laughs. “This isn’t an exceptional circumstance?”

Silence howls all around them as they glide through supersonic darkness.

PRIMARY TARGET, 40km

“Know what I think?” Carson hollers over the breakneck winds. “I think Shen is the best damn striker who’s ever graced Global Command. I’ve seen the kid fight. I think he should go superprotocol whenever he feels the need.”

Abebe sighs. “Perhaps you are correct, Commander Cole. My years have made me quite comfortable with the standard protocols.”

“Ain’t that what Aeschylus uses us for, anyways? Our warrior instincts?” Carson asks. “Shen’s got the quickest instincts of all of us.”

“Finally, some praise from Old Man Cole,” Shen rolls his eyes.

Carson chuckles. “Trust your instincts, pal. You’ll be good.”

ENTERING EFFECTIVE COMBAT RANGE

The team dips down through the cold clouds, under the dark haze, into the faint lights of the sprawling tundra. Billows of white pop from their feet as they land in the deep snow.

“There she is.” Carson nods to a distant block of ice. “What do we think?” The team squints at their target. Encased in the ice, a knot of black snakes ooze and slither out of a faceless head, slowly wrapping and twisting around her frozen scalp. A tiny enemy health bar pops into view:

“Creepy,” Shen says. “But not quite what I had in mind? Guess I was expecting some big hideous demon.”

“Somethin’ certainly does feel . . . strange about ‘er,” Carson adds.

“Doesn’t matter,” Alex says. “We stick to Abebe’s plan. Probe the primary target, improvise if the situation changes. Let’s go, Carr.”

Carson and Alex spring forward to probe the frozen head. Abebe and Shen stay behind, watching closely.

“Setting up firewalls for you,” Abebe announces, eyes closed in meditative strength, hands feeling through the air, weaving delicate threads of energy together, wrapping invisible blankets of mental armor around Carson and Alex.

Carson plants his feet into the thick snow. A heaving shield pops into his right hand, huge enough to cover two people. A gargantuan white battle axe pops into his left hand. “Try breakin’ the ice, then come to me for cover,” he tells Alex.

Alex steps toward the Gorgon as a white, knightly javelin pops into his grasp. He pulls his arm back, launches the great needle forward into the block of ice, ducks behind Carson’s heavy shield, watches as the javelin shatters into a million flecks of virtual light.

“Tough ice.” Carson raises his brow. “I’ve got a better idea. Cover yourself for a sec, Alli.”

A tall shield pops into Alex’s grasp. Carson stomps toward the frozen Gorgon, his arms and legs swelling with power as he hoists his hulking axe high and swings it down into his target.

The ice splits in half as the Gorgon’s health drops to nearly zero:

The snakes under the ice stop slithering, their bodies severed by Carson’s blow. Blood begins leaking out from the faceless, motionless head of the Gorgon.

“What happened?” Shen calls from the backline. “Did you kill it?”

“I . . . don’t think so,” Carson leers at the bloody, formless flesh where the Gorgon’s eyes should be, stepping away slowly, giant shield popping back into his grasp. “Somethin’ feels wrong here. Very very wrong. We should—”

The notice pops up over the severed head of the Gorgon, but before Alex can yell DON’T LOOK, a single eye emerges from its faceless mass and blasts the team with a horrible flash of static.

Alex can’t see.

Can’t hear.

Can’t move.

S̷t̵a̴tic.

Nothing but s̶̼̍t̵̰̉ȃ̸͕t̴͇̕ḯ̷̖č̶͙.

“HOLD ON!” Abebe shouts into his mind. “I’M CASTING UNFREEZE.” Alex feels their brains linking together, healing signals streaming from Abebe’s cerebrum into Alex’s frozen body.

The Gorgon’s head has disappeared. A blizzard has taken hold of the tundra. The snow has shifted beneath Alex, a thick sheet of ice now cracking and crumbling at the team’s feet as the wind screams and the earth trembles with vengeance.

“RESPOND!” Aeschylus commands, the team instantly obeys his order, flying high into the night as the ice shatters below them. A matted tangle of gigantic black snakes emerge from the waters beneath the ice, the enemy’s health bar loading back into view:

The monstrosity rises from the cold, dead sea. The giant snakes slink and slither around her head, her face a formless mass of bubbling flesh, her single cycloptic eye closed tight, struggling to open, digital snow and static seeping out from beneath her eyelid. The colossal Gorgon towers hundreds of feet over the commanders, her muscular arms, scaly breasts, bubbling body melting into each other, a monstrous morass of boiling flesh groaning and looming over the steaming arctic waters.

Aeschylus flies the bodies of the commanders away from the Gorgon, putting a vast space between them and their hideous enemy.

“Okay, that’s what I was expecting this battle to be like,” Shen yells out. “Anyone got any ideas?”

“You three attack!” Abebe commands. “Find a weak point! I will continue to—”

“RESPOND!” Aeschylus cries out as the Gorgon’s eyelid tears itself open, erupts at Shen with a blinding beam of seething, snowy white noise, instinct turns Alex to face away from the blast as a notice pops into view:

“Casting unfreeze!” Abebe calls out, mind entering Shen’s, his frozen body lighting up with warm, white light. “And re-upping our firewalls!”

The commanders glow with a red hot aura as the notice pops up again:

“Avoid her gaze and attack her!” Abebe orders as the Gorgon closes her weepy, noisy eye.

Aeschylus flings their bodies toward the Gorgon, autopiloting Carson and his enormous shield into close range of the monster’s melting face, moving Shen upward to strike her slithering hair from above.

Alex parks beside Carson, covered by his shield, loads a long white bow and arrow into his grasp, pulls back on the drawstring, pops out from behind the shield, launches a fiery laser of white-hot light through the Gorgon’s closed eye, chopping a chunk off her health bar:

“Huge surprise, the big ass eye is ‘er weak point!” Carson yells out to the team.

“Keep hitting the eye!” Shen shouts. “I’ll cover from above!”

Alex looks up to the giant snakes coiled high atop the Gorgon’s head, scaly locks of hair oozing down her boiled neck, perching on her shoulders, scouting for prey.

“RESPOND!” Aeschylus commands as a snake lunges forward, Alex and Carson fly back in tandem together, narrowly escaping its huge, gaping maw as a bolt of fire streaks in from above, pierces into the snake’s massive skull, a blazing blade carves its head clean from its tail in a whorl of flames, dashes through the sky to cut down yet another snake.

“C’mon guys!” Shen yells out, chopping yet another snake apart in a flash of fire. “I can’t cover you forever, hit the eye again!”

Alex snaps back into focus, loads another arrow into hand, draws back his bow once again, pops out from behind Carson’s shield only to be met with another cry from Aeschylus:

“RESPOND!”

But Alex can’t respond quickly enough: the Gorgon’s sealed eye suddenly rips open once again, flooding Alex with another snowy flash of vicious white noise.

Can’t see.

Can’t hear.

Can’t move.

S̵͚̈t̸͍͒atic.

Nothing but st̵a̵t̴i̷c̷.

And pain.

PAIN

L̸̢͓̜̆O̶̢̮͆̍Ȗ̴̱̂͛D PAI̸͉̽N̶̛̖͇̖̭̍͋́

P̴A̴I̷N̴ ̸E̷V̷E̴R̵Y̷W̷H̶E̸R̷E̴

E̸͓̩͌V̸̢̘̅̿E̵̢̐̑͜R̷̹̋͜Ÿ̵̻́̾ ̵̼̘̊̿T̷̺̀Y̴͚̆̚P̷̜͠Ȅ̶̥ ̶̪͆̄Ŏ̵̞͚̾F̵̡̼̂ ̴̠̂P̸̡̉͑A̶̛͖I̷̹̞̊Ń̸̙̃ ̴͇̎͂E̸̖͔̓V̸͓̬̓͑E̴̠̯̾R̴̞̲̃Y̸̺͇̋͝W̵͔̅H̷͙͒͘Ë̶̱́̽R̵̡̩̀É̶͖ ̵̹͊ͅA̵̢̹̔̕L̷̳̐̀L̵̲̘̕ ̵̰̭͘Ȁ̵͙T̸̪̼͊ ̸͕̌O̷̫͇̓N̸͇̄̇C̸̖̉̎Ë̵̤́͊

P̴̡̘͕͐̉͌̚A̷̘͔̠͑͌͑̕̚I̶̧̢̢̛͚̭͌̔͒N̵̡̜̜̗̒͠ͅṖ̴͕͖̺̈́͗A̴̲͂͐͌͠I̸̱̼͒̾̔͠N̸̨̬̬͎͑͑͘P̵͉̳̣̥̻̽̐͊̒̓Â̴̳̩̎̊̒Ȋ̸̜̙̗̺̒Ṉ̴̨̲̊Ṗ̴̧͎͜Ȧ̶̢̠̱̱̰́́͌I̵̤̬̳̊N̸̹̮͎̹̒P̶̤̣̌̂̾͑̕A̷̢̤̓͛͝Î̷̥̒͂̉N̵̰͉̽P̸͉͍̭̝͖̽̐A̷̰̘͆̈́͊͛̐I̶̤̩̜̱͐Ņ̷̻̈́̓̊P̴͔̎Ả̷̧̬̹̮̝̽̏̕͝Į̵̡̠̜̇N̶̡͚̱̗̤̓͌͝P̴̟̱̓͌̽̿̓Ȁ̷̙I̸̭͉̦͌̄̉͘͜N̴͖̟̱̭̩͛́͛͒̔P̵̯̮̀̿͘̚À̷̳̆Ì̸̻̪̥̐̕N̶̪̬͔̥̱̋̄

P̵̱̳̀͋̓̽̍̓͘Ȧ̷͙̙͚̞̊́̈́͑̀̏̉͘ͅĮ̸̡̞̘̻̘̯̰̯̇͗̋̓̄N̷̨̜̦̘̤̯͖̋̈͛P̷̨̨̲̯̹͖̗͕̪̀̓̊͑͌͝Ả̴͉͙͈̎̈̊́͜͝ͅǏ̶̧͈̬̭͚̍͛̍̄̈́͠N̷̨̹̖̫̤̽͝P̶̢̻̜͎̣͇̜̝͂Ȃ̸̯͎͙̻̼̗̟͎̂̆Į̸̼̖̬͕̽́̀̽̎̆͂̕Ǹ̷͍̳̦̬͉́͊̔̽P̸̢͎̭͍̘͉͗̀̓̑̆͆̀Ả̵̢̳̗̮̯̼́̓̕͝Ȉ̷̻̪̩̗̂͑̎̑͌̃̄͝͝Ǹ̸̗̇̆̐͒̈́͘͝P̶̜̞̺̞̙̤̖͒̀͒̈́́̿͌̉͜A̵̞̯̪̘̗̲͐͑̐͐͆̇̑͑̕Í̷͚͙̝̻͍͇͋͂͒͒̈́̉̉͝N̷̡̼̔̊͘P̶͖̅̐͂̚A̴̧̢̨̭̬͎͖͔̬̳͒̎͒̓͌I̸̼̬̣͙͆̾̋̽̈́̆̀͑͊͘͜N̷̩̳̣͈͕̦̈P̶̣̍̏͛̀͌̊Ą̸̥̥͚͍͓͌̒͘͠I̴͍͔̔͊̔N̶͈͍͔̘͛́͗̾̒͛

“CASTING UNFREEZE,” Abebe shouts into his mind again, invisible fingers sifting through his soul, the healing touch of Abebe, the alien clutch of some other entity fighting Aeschylus for control.

The pain evaporates. But the hidden fingers indexing through his brain remain. Auroras ignite the hazy black sky as Alex returns to his senses, ribbons of beautiful neon static, greens, blu̶͔̕è̸̖s̷͙̐, pink̵̰̪̲͑̌s̴̬̠̚, p̸u̶r̵p̸l̵e̸s̸ filling the air with h̴̡̃ȇ̵̛̯̣a̶̖͆́v̴͎͐y̶̜͉͒̚ magnetism, focus feels b̷l̴u̶n̶t̴e̴d̷, mind w̷͕̽ë̴̩̗͇́̓i̶͕̒̌g̵̦̈́̓͜͠h̵̢͉̙̾̀̃e̴̖̍̈́̊͜d̴̙́ d̴o̸w̸n̴ by glowing sky, brain s̶l̵u̵g̶g̶i̶s̴h̵ as the Gorgon’s closed eye t̸w̵i̵t̷c̶h̴e̶s̵, body bubbles, health regenerates.

“You guys are too slow!” Shen shouts out, lunging toward the monstrous, sealed eye as its rim trembles and weeps with deathly static. “I’ll kill her myself!”

Shen streaks across the neon sky in a fiery dash toward his target, but before he can strike the ȅ̷̟y̴͈͗e̴͗͜, the Gorgon whips her head around, her eye s̸͙̄ḫ̶̚r̷̻̽eddin̴̹͐g open at the seems, exploding into a beam of steaming white ǹ̶̥ô̸̬is̶e, freezing Carson with her roaring g̵a̸̻̔z̵̚͜e̸̛̘, colossal snakes springing from her shoulders to swat Shen down like a pesky fly, the sea below boils hotter, the a̶u̶roras above shine b̷͈̕ȓ̵͍i̸̖̽g̶̞͒hter, t̸̝͗e̴̥͑nta̸cl̶̤̋̉̇e̸̯̥̳̓͐s poke out from the G̸̳̾o̴͇̞͗r̸̬̩̔͌g̸͚̊o̶͎͑̈́n̸̙̙̾́’̵̛̮̥̕s̴͖̑͑ fleshy m̷a̸s̶s̴ of a body, w̶͇̲͒̎r̵̫͠i̷̺̪̓thing around, s̴t̶r̸u̷g̴g̷l̴i̶n̸g̵ to e̵s̸c̶a̴p̷e̵ from her boiling f̴͊͜l̵̡̄e̶̹͑s̶̞̒h̸̞̀ before being s̷w̶a̷llow̶̡̹͈͎͗ed̶̛̲̲̖̀ back in.

Too much happening, senses overloaded, Carson and Shen in danger, G̸̎͜o̴͓͆rgon’s body ś̷̥h̵̞̅i̵̇ͅfting̶̛͚, sea and sky heating up, too many variables, too little brainpower, too hard to f̶o̵c̶us, Alex throws himself toward the enemy as he calls out to Aeschylus for an extra boost:

“1.2x!”

Brain heats up, mind speeds up, Alex races through the situation, Abebe will soon unfreeze Carson but Shen is plummeting into the boiling water below, help Shen first, Alex dashes down into a cloud of steam, body slimming and morphing to cut through the air seamlessly, shatters the fog around him with hypersonic haste for all but a moment before swelling back up with muscle, arm morphing and pulsing with power as he catches Shen midair, cradles his fall, computes a launch trajectory, feels around in cyberspace for Shen’s brain, senses his readiness, slings him back up toward the eye of the Gorgon.

“KILL HER!” Alex commands as Shen rockets up toward the target, regains his focus, draws two long blades, envelopes himself in a screen of psychic fire as he screams his own overdrive command out to Aeschylus:

“2x!”

Shen pierces through the Gorgon’s closed eye, blasts through the back of her head in a jet of nuclear fury, clouds of flame and static explode out from the monster’s skull as Shen slashes and slices away inside, carving up her eye, stabbing at her brain, fire and flesh spewing out of the gaping wound in her face, melting her health bar down:

“My healing can’t reach you in there!” Abebe calls out to Shen. “You’re part of the Gorgon right now! Retreat!”

“The fuck happened while I was frozen?!” Carson shouts, flying up alongside Alex as the Gorgon’s health begins to regenerate:

“Don’t analyze it,” Alex responds, “we need to keep—”

“Where’s Shen? The fuck happened?!” Carson yells again as a notice pops into view:

“Cole! Altair!” Abebe shouts out to them. “She absorbed Shen! We need to finish this NOW!”

Carson and Alex flash into each other’s eyes, souls locking into sync as they order Aeschylus in perfect harmony:

“2x!”

Heart beats faster, races with courage, synapses fire with lethal precision, their minds meld into one as they target the flaming gash in the Gorgon’s eye, springing up toward it, Alex drawing a sword, Carson hoisting his giant axe toward the shrieking blues and pulsing pinks of the burning sky, the duo poised to strike when Aeschylus suddenly screams into their minds:

“RESPOND!”

A geyser of visual fuzz and nuclear fire erupts from the wounded eye of their towering foe. Alex’s overclocked brain darts from the Gorgon to Carson to Abebe to the incoming attack, feels Carson’s gut saying that Carson isn’t quick enough to escape the attack, feels Carson’s heart begging Alex not to risk his own life, but that doesn’t matter right now, Alex needs to keep moving, if he dives into Carson at full power there’s a chance they’ll both be able to dodge the blast just in time.

Alex smashes all of his weight into Carson, sending them both hurdling into the blazing night sky as the wave of heat and static singes their skin, leaves their bodies intact, twirling and spiralling and soaring through the air before regaining their balance beneath the heavy electric breath of the auroras, a warning leaping into view:

The Gorgon’s face p̴eels̷ apart, h̸̡͛ow̵͚̠̑̈ls with horror, gushes out a constant beam of fire and d̶i̷s̶tort̸̻́i̵̲̍o̸͚̊n, monstrous snakes and chthonic tentacles r̵i̸p̵ and t̴͍͋é̶̞ar out of her boiling breast, blood and s̷ẗ̷̻́ati̶c̴ drip and m̸̼͗̍͗̃e̵̦͈̩̲̊̿́͝lt from every orifice in her mu̵̢̫̤͔͋̏͂͝t̸̒ͅa̴̙̍tiņ̴͎̈́͂g, bub̵̤̾b̷̨̺̩͇̭̱͔̄̈́̇ling swamp of a body.

“GIVING YOU EVERY BUFF I CAN!” Abebe yells over the scream of the Gorgon.  “AVOID HER BEAM AND KILL HER!”

Alex feels Abebe’s power and wisdom join with his own, honing his skills, sharpening his intuitions, easing his spirit into the grasp of Aeschylus as he dives toward the Gorgon alongside Carson, Aeschylus ducking and gliding their bodies around the beam of fire and s̵̝̽̕n̷̞̯͆̀̿o̴w as the Gorgon struggles to fix her explosive g̵͇͐a̸͙͆z̶e on them, drawing their weapons again, drawing closer to their target, drawing up a battle plan together in their h̴e̷ar̷̝̀ts̷̡͖͚̪̾̍ as they close in on the abomination, Carson will s̷̯͌m̴̬̒a̸̬̋s̵͍͐ȟ̵͚ into her neck, d̷̯̚ig̵̰̚ his axe in d̷ ̷e e̷ ̷p̸, shield Alex while ẖ̸̳͒eş̵̓h̶͒́ͅé̶͎͑ pries open the wound with h̸͉͌e̵̞̔ȓ̵̗ s̸̘͋p̸̣͆ea̵r̶, they’ll move together with p̴̘̞͕̍o̸̡͖͆̌i̸̯͍̘͒͐s̷̥̣̥͒ȩ̸͈͕̄̎͝ and p̵̙̍̕͝ṛ̵̔͛̕ȩ̸͎̘̃̚ċ̸̳͎̣̅͝ị̵̧͑̅͑s̴͚̘͆̀i̷̠̳͊͝ǫ̶̒͛n̶̻͈̜̊́, swò̷͖r̴̡̈́d̴͔͝s̴̫̎ and s̶h̷i̶elds, j̴u̶s̵t̴ ̴l̶i̴k̵e̸ ̶t̴h̴e̵y̵ ̶d̸i̵d̵ ̵w̶h̴e̵n̸ they fought the M̶̧̡̐̀i̷̫̬͝n̴̛̞̚o̶̺̟̍t̴̛̜a̷̢̳͗̾u̸̘̗͋r̷͉͇̈́̈́, j̸u̷s̶t̷ ̸l̶i̸k̵e̷ ̴t̶h̴e̷y̵ dance̶d̷ together as k̶͔͛i̵̗̙̇d̶͖͎͆̕ś̶̹̋ ̷͎̏͂i̵̜͑̇n̵͈͊̎ ̴̺̅͌t̷͙͕̎h̵̨͒̒e̴̹͛ ̵̭̖̉p̴͈͑a̵̟̕l̸̮̲͋a̷̤͗c̴̬̅͝e̸̜͜͠, ă̸̺ͅs̸̲͓̊̂̌ ̷̳͆͜͠l̵̰̖͆ò̶̱̩͗̽v̴̰̟̐ͅę̷̖͚̈́͗̓r̴̛͚̝̼͆̿ṡ̷̲͖̼ ̶̮̈́̈́͜o̵̙͋̊u̷̘̮̐͆ţ̷͓̃̅̆s̷̭͖̥̊̏i̵͚̍̽͊d̷͍̰͈́̓e̴̖̟̾̈ ̸̭͓̌̔D̶͎͇̝͠a̸̙̣̋̀͘l̷̼̀l̸̠̻̫͛̈́a̷͇̤̗͠s̵̟̺͋, j̵u̴s̶t̵ ̷l̵i̷k̴e̸ ̴t̸h̵e̵i̴r̸ ̸b̴o̶d̶i̷e̸s̸ ̷m̵o̸v̵e̸d̴ ̵a̴g̴a̷i̵n̴s̶t̸ ̷ḛ̸̸̸̖̣̓̓̈́͘ä̵̵̸̧̟̙̬́̾̒c̴̵̶̯̥̟͒̀́h̶̵̴̳̬̒̈́̐ ̶̴̴̡̺͇̿̑o̷̶̴̖͙̝̽̌̾t̸̷̴̼̝̔̒̃h̴̵̴̩̙͋͐̚͜e̸̶̷̪͈̮̔̐r̷̴̷̝̺̩̎͒̓ ̵w̸h̴e̵n̵ ș̵̣̳͂̈́h̵͓͆̍̕ē̸̻̞̓̾—

“RESPOND!” Aeschylus commands, snapping Alex back into reality as a sprawling wave of howling snow and static closes in. Alex quickly dives under the attack, feels Carson’s pain in his chest, looks to his side, sees Carson immobilized by the blast of distortion:

“RESPOND!” Aeschylus cries as the beam of fire returns to engulf Alex. Instinct takes over, Alex begins to dash to Carson’s aid, but Aeschylus disagrees with Alex’s decision:

“ENFORCING FULL-AUTO MODE”

Aeschylus steals Alex’s body, overrides his mind, autopilots him beneath the incoming wave of flame and noise, flings him away from Carson, the Gorgon’s gaze tracking his body as it speeds across the sky, deadly atomic beam hot on his tail, Aeschylus morphs and slims Alex’s body into a slender dart once again, cuts through the air, encases him in a supersonic bubble, hurls him out of the Gorgon’s attack range, sets him down safely, far away from the monster.

“RESUMING SEMI-AUTO MODE”

Alex regains control of his body only to look on from a distance as an enormous tentacle s̴h̵r̵ed̵̜̿s̷̖͂ out from the Gorgo̵n̶’̵s̵ b̸͍̽r̶̞͠east̵̅ͅ, springs toward C̴̛̪a̷̯͋r̴͖͝son̷, wraps around his frozen body, and pulls him deep inside the monster’s m̶o̵r̷ph̶̝̓͐͒ing, bo̵̧̧̭͐́̒̓ilin̶̯͗g chest. Alex feels his own chest b̷̹͝u̴̜͌b̵͝ͅb̸l̴i̸n̷g̵ and boil̴i̸n̷g̵ with rage as another warning pops into view:

Alex glares at the Gorgon, s̶e̴e̵th̴̙̓̾e̴͓͛̾s at Aeschylus, watches as brilliant white feathery wings c̵̡͝r̵͔̎a̴̬̕ck̶̼͖͎͉͖̀̓ out from the monster’s back,  remembers the Pegasus sö̶̝́a̸̭̓ring ^above the green pastures, the b̸̥̈è̴̩auṭ̴͒ifu̵l garden in the p̶a̶lace where she used to run around withC̶̥͑CarrC̷͍̑a̵̡̞̐rsơ̷̙̱͆̐narre̶͖̋n̷͈͛ḛ̸̑, b̸̥̈è̴̩auṭ̴͒ifu̵l fields of Hudson Park where they had picnics together in their early days of commandR̸E̷S̸POND̸̖̞̜͇̚!. N̵͈͂ǒ̶̫ť̷͉ ̷͎̔l̴̹̃i̴̹͋k̵̏͜ë̴͍́ ̴͍͝n̷͔̎o̴̦̊ẁ̴̫ ̵̼́w̷̘͝h̷̩͌e̵̹͆n̶̪̔ ̴͍͆t̸͓͋h̶̹́r̵̛̯e̸̬͘ä̶͈t̴͈͒s̸̜̅ ̶̨͐a̷͕͠r̵͈͒e̷̹͋ ̸̻͝e̶̮͘s̸̱̈́c̶͍͝ḁ̸͗l̵̠̚ḁ̷͑ṭ̵̈́į̴̆n̴͕͊g̷̺͘,̵͙̐ ̵͙̌o̷͚͆n̷͖̏ ̷͚͂t̶̬̐h̸̰̎ę̵̈ ̷̤̈́l̷̞̀ô̸̗o̸̭͐s̶̡͘e̸̢͗ ̷̗͑ȧ̴̼ĺ̶͇l̵͍͆ ̴̣̕ť̶̰h̸̩̄è̵͉ ̵̞̋t̵̟̏i̵̳͠m̵̧̋ȇ̶̺.̴͕̓. Alex pauses, basks in h̸er memories. Neural overdr̸i̴v̶e̶ is wonderful when she doesn’t have to use it to fight, lets ḩ̸̰̰̰̬̗̙̣̓̈́͂̀̏̾̂͝i̸̙̘̺̓̔͆̂̚͜͠m̵͉̻̫̲̖̯̥͗͌h̸͇̔e̸̗̔r dwell in so many old peaceful memories, u̵͔̭͂́ṇ̴̙̊l̴̨͆o̷̗̽̑c̵͙̖͆̄ḱ̵̲̣͑s̵͍̾̏ ̵̢̹̑ś̴̺̑o̶̰̅ ̶̝̯̄m̶͍͓͊̊à̶͚̻n̸̗͈̓y̶̛̲ forgot̷t̶̤͌ḙ̴̎n̴̤͒ momentsR̸E̷S̸POND̸̖̞̜͇̚!, gives h̶͓̺͗er enough brainpower to process her feelings beyond the rigid protocols of G̶l̵o̴b̷a̵l̸ ̴C̴o̸m̶m̸a̸n̷d̵, to remember so much more than A̵͈͆e̵̻̕s̸̞̕chyl̴u̵s normally allows h̸e̸r̶ to—

“RESPOND!” Aeschylus cries as the Gorgon’s fiery gaze pierces through the cold distance to devour Alex. Alex snaps back into focus, but stays perfectly still. Time crawls as data points r̷a̷ce̵ through h̸i̴s quaking brain. Abebe at their cognitive limit. Shen absorbed. Carson absorbed. Nothing left for h̴im to lose now.

Shen was right: Aeschylus is failing. Conventional tactics are failing.

“What if we need to rethink the way we fight?” Alex recalls h̷͖́i̶͕͗s own words to Asaju in the Forum.

“My g̵e̶n̴de̷r is just a tool I use to create my r̸e̴ality̴,” Abebe’s pre-mission words echo through his memory. “As the reality̴ around m̷e̷ changes, so too must my g̸ende̶͚͘r.”

The G̶o̷r̵gon’s̷ white wings s p̷ ̶r̷ ̶e ̴a d̵ out, s̴t̴rug̷g̵lin̵̗͂g̵͈̒ to lift h̵e̴r swollen, acḧ̸̝́i̵̘̓n̴̲̈ğ̸̠ body out from the molten sea and into the high heavens, white̵ ̴l̷i̷g̸h̴tning pouring down from the a̶̙͒u̸̧̔ror̷̬̽as above, waters below steaming away into an endless pit of f̷o̵g̶, reali̴t̴y̴ cavi̸n̵g̴ ̴in̶ ̸on̶ ̴its̷elf̸, divine thunder r̴u̶m̵b̷l̷i̶n̵g̸ out from deep inside the de̷m̸o̸n̶’̷s̷ b̸͍̽r̶̞͠east̵̅ͅ, a forbidden power emerging from within.

 

 

“RESPOND!” Aeschylus cries out again. The blazing beam of fire draws nearer. Too late to dodge now. Alex remains still, feels invisible hands parsing through h̷i̴m again, gently unlocking r̶e̸s̷tricted secto̶rs of h̵̪͝e̵̡̓r heart and brain. The soft touch of Medea’s medicine. Her soothing voice echoes into h̷er mind:

“Respond.”

Alex instantly understands what Medea wants her to do.

“6x!” Alex calls out.

Alex breaks into little pieces, her body busting and curving and morphing, new senses forming, brain buzzing with electric heat, sensing every inch of herself, every cell, every signal, every mote of being, Medea’s magic crystal releasing terabytes and nanoparticles into her bloodstream, estrogen modules erupting in the chambers of her heart, tiny drones zipping through her veins, shipping hormones between receptors, biodata between genes, reading her, deconstructing her, re-assembling her, skin softens, melts away, bones dissolve, Alex reduced to primordial clay staring up into the Gorgon’s nuclear gaze, her mind glowing, radiating psychic power, her soul becoming one with the flame.

“ALTAIR!” Abebe screams. “YOU WILL FRY YOUR DAMN BRAIN!”

The beam of fire engulfs Alex, but her spirit stays intact, peering through the eye of the firestorm, transfixed on the blazing eye of the Gorgon, her molten eyelid twitching, flinching, oozing with pain and dread. Alex feels Shen frozen deep beneath the eye. Feels Carson’s eyes all over her. Feels the atomic blaze blasting the air around her, every troubled isotope, every strange quark, every unhinged electron, every rogue gluon that once held her together. She mutates and morphs into the flecks of microscopic matter surrounding her, binds her data to their fiery atoms, bends her energy through the infinitesimal gulfs between them, becomes a gorgeous, radiant wisp of unstoppable flame.

“Re̴s̷pon̴d̴,“ Aeschylus mumbles somewhere in the background, barely audible over the terrible static of the Gorgon’s radioactive screams.

Aeschylus doesn’t matter right now. Alex gazes into the Gorgon’s pillar of fire, becomes the pillar of fire, becomes a blazing spirit ascending to the Gorgon in quantum leaps, a burning phantom scaling each and every atom of flame, feeling M̴e̴d̷è̴͉ả̶͇’̵̲̏’̵s̵Mọ̷̽m̷̺̑’̶̳̍s̸̯̉?̸̧̬̳̻̓̽͝͝͝ distant hand guiding her along, climbing through the Gorgon’s bro̸ke̷n̶ eye, s̷ṁ̸̞ă̵shing open the window to her soul, sensing the shock, terror, confusion of the dying, raging monster within, feels the Gorgon’s weak̵ne̸s̴s all around, understands her suffering, be̷̿͝ͅcom̶e̷s̷ ̷h̷er ̴s̷uffe̴r̴i̴n̸g̸, her body d̶̛̫i̵ŝ̷s̵̟͋̂o̶l̴̰͔̂v̷̯̔͊i̷̖̣̅n̷͓̽̓g into the steaming sea, the pu̷l̶p̴ of her brain barely containing Shen’s frozen r̷̙̀a̷g̴e̸͚͋, Carson’s might locked away in her b̸͈͑ȯ̷ͅì̸͓lin̸g̶ chest, dozens of white wings st̶ab̷bing̶ ̴ou̵t̴ ̸o̵f ̴h̷er̵ ̸b̸ac̴k̵, d̴̹̬̹͌̾͝ẻ̵̞̥͍́s̴̯̗̐̂̚p̶͎̈́̾ȩ̴̞̗̓̈̽r̴͓̿̋̈́a̸̭̤͒̿̄ţ̷͝e̸͎͠ to take f̶l̸̡̎i̷͖͆ğ̶̱ht, bit̶s and by̷te̸s̷ of new flesh r̵i̵p̵p̵i̷n̸g̵ out of her mu̶t̵a̶n̴t̴ ̶f̷ra̷me̷, t̷e̵n̵d̵o̸n̵s̷ ̸t̴e̵a̵r̵i̵n̴g̴, organs g̷ro̴̠̎́w̶̖̽̀i̵n̶̏̅ͅg̸̲̔͋ and b̵͛͜ȗ̶̖̹s̴͓͎̆̃ṭ̵͑i̸̯̬͆̀n̶̙̞̓g̸̰̐ and b̴̡̜͈̩͆͌͌ͅṳ̶̺̹̋͑̏̏̕͠rs̶̡͎͚̋͐̐t̵̠̪̬̙̤̞̀̇̎̆̓̃i̴͘ń̷̟̗̑̎͝ģ̶̺͍̻̤̊́̏̂̿̑, tentacles drip̸̢̾p̶͉͚̮̑̓ͅing, hands sticking and rubbing and pounding, s̸͍͋l̸̝̍à̷̺shin̵̹̎g nails, gaṣ̵̾h̷͎̓ing claws, c̵l̵a̵w̴s̶, c̶̼͛̄l̴̬̎̒a̵̝̠͗w̴͔̓s̴̭̹͛, c̷̨̛l̷̗̉a̷̗͂w̴͚͌s̵̟̏

Cla̶w̸s̶, ç̷͙̬̝̠̦̰̚l̴͉͍̂̈́̉ā̸̭̱͕́͌͑̓̇ẁ̶͍̙̭͉̤͊̄̇̽͜͜ș̷̘͕̻̊͌̚, C̵̞̤͋̊͊̄͑̀͑̌͝L̴̢̙̮̟͖̺̤̯͙̀̔͒̐́̓̈́ͅA̵̡̪̙͙̮̩̭̜͑̓̋̾̿̾̇͌̿̚̚W̶̡̆̈́̎͗̏S̸̰̆̾́̊̀̃̃̀͆͘͝, NEE̵̩̳̓D̵͈̉ CL̵͙̽A̷̘͑W̴̙̓S̵̜͛ !!

Alex becomes the Gorgon.

She bec̷̚o̷͗m̸͠e̶̓s̴̍ the thousand cla̶w̸s̶ ripping her own brain apart, d̶i̵s̶mĕ̵̤͜ḿ̸̛͚̌beriņ̵̧͓͚͚̻̣͎͔̃̾͗͛̑͗̋̈́͝g̷̡̎ herself from within, b̷e̷c̴o̷m̸e̵s the melting and mutatin̴̙̓g̵ mass of fluid flesh, becom̷e̷s her long hair of snakes twisting, wrapping, ç̴̘̖̓h̷͙̊͜o̶̺̫͕̿̃̓kin̵g the li̶f̸e̷ of out herself.

She be̷c̴o̷me̵s the sh̶̥̜̅riẹ̴̋͜king and h̸̡̧͖̭͔̗͗̃ơ̵̢̱͉͚̝̣̩̊̾̓̌̄̆̓̌ẘ̵͔̃li̷n̷g of the Gorgon consuming herself, becomes all her repressed rage, become̵s the inner sanctum of her sô̶̘͜ͅũ̸̝̯͎͍̾͒l̴̩̯̘̩͕̗͋̋͜, becomes the blȯ̸̆ǒ̴d̵ and br̷̝̫̚a̵in̵ and dę̴̈a̵t̴͇́́ḩ̵̾ of the Gorgon, all w̷͚͉͆͘͝ȑ̷̺̺̔͝e̷̤̼̣͛͋t̴̖̓c̴̞̀̀͝ẖ̵̈ȩ̵͕̿̏ḍ̸̅̿́ and ď̸͍͍̮̫̘̥͋̋͗͊̌̓̀̚y̴̦̘̘͕̞̦̪͓̰̎͋s̴̢̠͍̙̳̟̦͇̀̓̉͊̾͗͋͘m̸̨̛̭̰̫̙̻̬͑̄̋̿̀̆̕ͅo̶̥̞̫̭̪̜͛̀͗͆̊ͅŗ̸͕̩͕͓͖̿̎̐̑̊̎̓̋p̷̨̢͍̘͇͍̽́̄͒͠h̴̪͉̟̟̮̪͙͉̲̓į̸̢̟̩͖̯̍̈́̔̏̅c̴͚̜̻̝̼̟̓͒̈́̿͠, merg̸̋ͅi̷̡̽n̵̗̅g̴͖͗ with the mons̵͓̑͌t̶̠̳̐͛ͅė̵̥͛r as s̶̹̠̩̃h̵͍̦̻͊ē̴̯͝ cling̷s̵ and cra̶w̷l̵s̸ to the world of flesh, s̷t̷r̷u̷g̷glin̵̄g to regenerate herself, failing to heal, failing to absorb Alex, failing to understand: s̷̺̈h̴̪̾e is the o̵ne b̶eing ab̵s̶o̷r̸b̸e̷d̵.

She be̷c̴ome̵s the alien rampage in the Gorgon’s mind, becomes the server clusters and data centers and undersea cables h̵o̶l̴d̶ing her body t̶og̴e̵th̶er, becomes her ov̵e̶r̶loaded systems, her i̴̘͠m̶͓̒p̵̣͛ļ̶̒odin̷̢̆g infrastructure, her co̸̭̦͉͋̏͛̒̆͑l̷̜̮͗͊͝l̷̹̽̾̈́ḁ̶͒̾̈̀p̶̱̺͙͉̘̽̀̿͐ͅs̶̩͔̻̗͔̈i̷̛̘̽̀͐͂ng reality, her stolen identity, the infinity of data that defines her folding in on itself, folding into Alex, folding into n̵o̷t̶h̷i̶ngn̵e̷ss, becoming the̷ g̶e̶n̵d̵e̷r̸ ̷o̷f̵ ̷h̸e̶r̶ ̴o̸w̷n̸ ̶d̶e̵s̸t̶r̴u̶c̶t̶i̴o̷n̴, filling r̴̞̥͙̊́̍è̸͔̯̑͗a̷̯̻̲͋̌̈́l̴̼̹̏ĩ̷͉͉̎t̶̜̞͗y̸̠͙͋͜ with her own neg̶a̶t̸i̶o̴n̶ as the vo̷̹̜̅̋id̸̗̣͔͈̈́͗̀̑ washes over with white and the notice f̴l̴a̷s̶hes into view:

She S̷̛͓̖͂C̶͖͖͝R̶̘̪̂̉Ě̴̻̄A̸̭̐̚M̶̝̹̿S̶͉̀̚ at the notice on-screen,  S̸̨̢̱̝͖̪̱͖̠̔̌͌̓̐̂̓ͅC̷̩̆͊̈́̌͌̚͝R̸̡̘̣͔͇̙̓̽̅̿͜ͅȆ̴̻̭̼̱̰̪̣ͅÄ̶͉̠̬́͋́̐̾͗͒̃́Ṃ̷͍͍͇͕̹͎̖̞̠̼͆͗͐͌̐̔̂S̶̪̲̊̾̓̑̅̂͊  at her hollow victory, S̴̢̢̛̜̠̹̯̰͉̥̙͇̭͔̀̀̓̈́̈́ͅC̴̛̺̮̰̖͔̀̏͆̽̈́͌̈͊̇̐͝R̷̜̺͈̥̐́͑̀͐͛̅̏̽̂͊̊̓͆͑̊͋̂Ȩ̵̛̱̘͙̖̝̙̙͙̘͚̖̭͍̟͔̤͚Ä̶̼̺̞́͂̉̔́̿̈́̋̍́͛̓͌̕̚M̷̡̜̠̘̳̱̟̄̌̎̑̏̽̈́̿̍͑́͌̕S̷̡͇̺͖͖̦̬̙̺̣͓̳̠̗̰͔̰̟̀̄͐͐̒̉͌̕͝͝ at Aeschylus and all his cruel illusions, S̴̢̢̛̜̠̹̯̰͉̥̙͇̭͔̀̀̓̈́̈́ͅC̴̛̺̮̰̖͔̀̏͆̽̈́͌̈͊̇̐͝R̷̜̺͈̥̐́͑̀͐͛̅̏̽̂͊̊̓͆͑̊͋̂Ȩ̵̛̱̘͙̖̝̙̙͙̘͚̖̭͍̟͔̤͚Ä̶̼̺̞́͂̉̔́̿̈́̋̍́͛̓͌̕̚M̷̡̜̠̘̳̱̟̄̌̎̑̏̽̈́̿̍͑́͌̕S̷̡͇̺͖͖̦̬̙̺̣͓̳̠̗̰͔̰̟̀̄͐͐̒̉͌̕͝͝ at Asaju and all his anxious generals, S̴̢̢̛̜̠̹̯̰͉̥̙͇̭͔̀̀̓̈́̈́ͅC̴̛̺̮̰̖͔̀̏͆̽̈́͌̈͊̇̐͝R̷̜̺͈̥̐́͑̀͐͛̅̏̽̂͊̊̓͆͑̊͋̂Ȩ̵̛̱̘͙̖̝̙̙͙̘͚̖̭͍̟͔̤͚Ä̶̼̺̞́͂̉̔́̿̈́̋̍́͛̓͌̕̚M̷̡̜̠̘̳̱̟̄̌̎̑̏̽̈́̿̍͑́͌̕S̷̡͇̺͖͖̦̬̙̺̣͓̳̠̗̰͔̰̟̀̄͐͐̒̉͌̕͝͝ at all the gaps they built into all her memories, S̴̢̢̛̜̠̹̯̰͉̥̙͇̭͔̀̀̓̈́̈́ͅC̴̛̺̮̰̖͔̀̏͆̽̈́͌̈͊̇̐͝R̷̜̺͈̥̐́͑̀͐͛̅̏̽̂͊̊̓͆͑̊͋̂Ȩ̵̛̱̘͙̖̝̙̙͙̘͚̖̭͍̟͔̤͚Ä̶̼̺̞́͂̉̔́̿̈́̋̍́͛̓͌̕̚M̷̡̜̠̘̳̱̟̄̌̎̑̏̽̈́̿̍͑́͌̕S̷̡͇̺͖͖̦̬̙̺̣͓̳̠̗̰͔̰̟̀̄͐͐̒̉͌̕͝͝ at all the false flesh they’ve trapped her in, S̴̢̢̛̜̠̹̯̰͉̥̙͇̭͔̀̀̓̈́̈́ͅC̴̛̺̮̰̖͔̀̏͆̽̈́͌̈͊̇̐͝R̷̜̺͈̥̐́͑̀͐͛̅̏̽̂͊̊̓͆͑̊͋̂Ȩ̵̛̱̘͙̖̝̙̙͙̘͚̖̭͍̟͔̤͚Ä̶̼̺̞́͂̉̔́̿̈́̋̍́͛̓͌̕̚M̷̡̜̠̘̳̱̟̄̌̎̑̏̽̈́̿̍͑́͌̕S̷̡͇̺͖͖̦̬̙̺̣͓̳̠̗̰͔̰̟̀̄͐͐̒̉͌̕͝͝ at all the blank white nothingness all around her, S̴̛̱͙̱̫̥̖͈̩̱͒̉͌́̃̈́̃̆̐͒͒̄̉̿̇͆̊̈́̈́̅̔̓̔͑͐̈́͋̑͗͑̾̐͘C̷̰̦̫̖̈̒̔̀̕ͅR̸̨̝͕͇̠̻̠̠̖̰͔̥̙̜̺̼̤̭̱͈͇͔̫̼̺̲̎͐̿͂͗̋̇̽́̓̈́̓͜Ẹ̵̡̯̠̲̯̘̰͙̟̥̞̜͙̖̈́͑͐̓́̊͆̾̑͊̓̾̈́̑̐̔̄̆͒͂̈́̈́̈́̈́̈͌̆̀̾̒̇̎̾͜͠͝͠ͅÀ̷̛̗̮̥̩̰̲̎̊̓̐̉̋̃̍̉̀̆̒͛̉͐͂͑͊̏́͛̈̈́́̄̕̕͘͠͠M̵̲̳̦̓̎̃̿̔́̊̾̈́̈́̀̓́͂̿̑̂̀̇̀̾̅̋͆͂̅̈́͑̓̕͠͝͝S̷̨̢̡̰̥͎̯̲͇̳͔̻͈̥͇̙̙̲͍̟̈́̃̐̓́͆́̒̈̀̾͗̾̀͋̈̆͊͒͑̄̔͋̀̈̚͘̚͠͠ͅ out in a feral roar:

“100x!”

SHE SCREAMS SO LOUD THAT TIME COMES TO A HALT

SCREAMS SO LOUD THAT TIME ITSELF BENDS AND WARPS TO THE SOUND OF HER VOICE

SCREAMS LOUDER SO ALL HER GHOSTS CAN HEAR HER

SCREAMS AT HER MOTHER FOR LEAVING HER

SCREAMS AT HER FATHER FOR DESIGNING HER

SCREAMS AT THE PILLARS OF HER CREATION

SCREAMS AT THE CAGES THAT CONTAIN HER

SCREAMS AT THE SYSTEMS THAT LIMIT HER